The User
by Ninmast
Summary: Two teenagers, one a boy genius in programming, one a holographic girl, transport themselves to Mainframe when they recieve a strange distress call.
1. Attack on Mainframe

****

The User

Chapter 1

Attack on Mainframe

By: Ninmast

David rolled over in bed and pulled the blanket over his head as his computer monitor flashed with a bright, white light. "Darn screensaver," he mumbled as he closed his eyes and tried to ignore it.

"Wait a minute," he thought as his eyes snapped back open, "my screensaver's black!"

In an instant, he was in front of his flat screen monitor, trying to find out what was happening. All he could get it to show, though, was a snow screen. No, he realized as he stared at the screen, wondering how his monitor could be getting static. No, that wasn't all. He caught a snatch of a voice. Someone was broadcasting.

David grabbed his headset as he set his computer for the channel that the broadcast was being transmitted on. "Transmitter," he spoke into the microphone, "there is something wrong with your signal. Repeat, there is something wrong with your signal. I am not receiving your transmission correctly. Requesting that you check connections and broadcast identification."

The screen went quiet for a moment before the transmission began again. This time, however, the vid screen filled with the image of a young woman with black hair and, oddly enough, green skin.

She looked up as her face broke into a white smile. "Thank the User! We finally found someone!" Her face went wide in fear, urgency bold in her voice. "Please, you have to help us! Please, you have to send help!"

"Hold on," David exclaimed, holding his hands up. "What's going on?"

"We're under attack," the woman explained. "Half of the population has been infected already, and the rest are falling fast. We don't know how much longer we can hold it off. Please, you have to help us. We don't have time to contact anyone else. You're our last hope."

A young man with silver hair and blue skin that was wearing what looked like white armor came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Come on, Dot! We need to get going! Matrix and I can't buy you any more time. We have to get out of here now!"

Dot turned back to the screen. "Please, send help! Anything that could help would be appreciated. We have two guardians, but even they can't hold them off."

Another man backed into view, this one in what looked like a biker outfit. He had black hair, green skin, and one eye. The other eye looked like it had been replaced by a robotic implant. It glared an angry red as he fired his gun repeatedly at something off screen. David could only assume it was Matrix that the other man had referred to. "Come on, Sis! We have to get out of here! Bob and I can't hold them off any longer."

There was a large explosion as the three covered their faces. "No more time for chit-chat," Matrix yelled as he scooped up his sister and the two men ran off. The next moment, whatever terminal they had been broadcasting from exploded, and the screen went white again.

After the flash died down, David got up and started to get dressed, even though it was so late at night. "ARIEL," he yelled, "we got an emergency! Get in here now!"

The hologram made a big show of coming through the door, stretching and yawning, her pink pajama top coming up to show her belly button. "What's up, David? Why are you up so late? I thought you went to bed?" Despite the simple look of David's computer system, it was actually the most powerful machine on the face of the planet. He was a genius with computers, and he had designed it himself. ARIEL was, in essence, the operating system. Her name was an acronym for Artificial Realistic Intellectually Enhanced Life form. She could link herself to any computer in the world. She was more than just a program, though. She had developed the ability to think and act for herself. She was as human as anyone else David knew. Even her hologram was flawless. No matter where she showed up, not a glitch or graphic flinch could be seen. She seemed as solid as anything else. In fact, by manipulating electromagnetism in the air, she could actually "touch" things.

"Toss me my computer bracer, would you, ARIEL?" He reached up to catch it as she tossed it to him. He snapped the powerful minicomputer to his forearm as he explained. "There's a place that's under attack from something. They sent me a transmission, but they had to run before they could really explain what was going on."

Understanding lit up her face. "Oh, so that was what that message was about! It was labeled urgent, so I went ahead and displayed it."

"It's a good thing you did," David answered as he strapped on two holsters that held pistols that he had personally designed. The guns fired adjustable lasers that could cut through steel, or stun an opponent. "Otherwise, we may have missed it." He continued as he strapped a long sword to his back. "ARIEL, I need you to find out where that transmission was coming from. Let's see what we can do to help."

"Gotcha, I'm on it!" Her face went blank as she accessed the appropriate files. "Huh? No way! This can't be right!"

"What? What is it?"

"This can't be! There's no way! It's impossible!"

"Talk to me, ARIEL!"

Her eyes focused on David again. "That signal was being transmitted from _inside_ another computer."

"What do you mean, inside another computer?"

"I don't understand it fully, either, but the best I can come up with is that those people were programs, or, at the very least, sprites."

David scratched his head in an effort to understand. "Are you telling me that the message was fake?"

ARIEL shook her head. "Not fake. They were real, but they exist inside a computer." She looked at him again, only to see the same questioning, empty stare. "Okay, think of it this way. Imagine all of the information inside of your computer represented as an entire world. Your computer is the planet. Inside, all of the information is buzzing around, doing whatever it is that it is doing. Every piece of information is a person, with a unique trait. They all have different jobs. Each one plays a part in its own little world. Now, imagine what it would look like in a virtual representation."

David nodded as it seemed to start to come together. "So they are probably under attack from some sort of virus, then?"

"Either that, or a hacker."

David nodded in agreement with the hologram. "Could be, but she mentioned the population being infected, not corrupted. That makes me want to lean more toward the idea of a virus."

"That does sound more logical. But what now? How do you stop a rampaging virus in a computer that's thousands of miles away?"

David stood up and stalked over to his closet, where he pulled out a trench coat that he threw over the rest of his ensemble, effectively hiding it from prying eyes. "We go there." He watched as a look of doubt crossed her face. "What, you can do it, can't you, ARIEL?"

She nodded, still unsure. "Theoretically, I suppose I could digitize you, breaking you down into bits of data, and transmit you to the infected computer. Or perhaps link you to it, leaving your physical body safe here. But what could you do against a compilation of data?"

He drew one of the pistols in a lightning quick movement, then twirled it around his finger. "You said it will be a physical representation? Well, I haven't seen a physical thing yet that a laser couldn't cut down to size." David was, unofficially, an intergalactic police officer. He had been deputized when he had accidentally been transported across the universe onto a planet where a crime boss reigned supreme. After he had helped to bring the syndicate down, he was awarded with officer status. He had gotten homesick, however, so the authorities "transferred" him back to Earth, "assigning" him to the solar system. Granted, there was hardly any intergalactic threats to the backwater system, but at least he was home, and, if anything did come up, he was good enough to be able to handle it.

ARIEL, however, had her doubts that the hero would fare so well against lines of programming. She had trouble picturing him cutting through code. "What if it doesn't work, David?"

He shrugged, his cool demeanor hardly able to hide the fact that he was thinking the same thing. "I'm a programmer, aren't I? I'll figure something out."

"Fine, then," she sighed. "Just let me know when you're ready. Hanging around here in the real world is really wasting my processing speed." With that, she disappeared.

David took one last look around the room as he patted himself down to make sure he had everything. Just for kicks, he grabbed his blue cap off of his bedpost and slipped it on before sitting back down in his swivel chair. "Okay, ARIEL," he said aloud, "I'm ready."

Obediently, another vid screen opened up on the monitor, this time filled with ARIEL and her "room." "Okay, David, I've made all of the preparations."

"Already? That was fast."

She smiled back at him. "Of course it was. I clock time by the nanoseconds, not by the minutes. It's not a matter of me being fast, just you being slow."

"Chicken and the egg, ARIEL," David said as he smiled back, reaching for a headset that he slipped on his head. "We've covered this before. It all depends on how you look at it. Now, how do I get there?"

ARIEL's image changed from wearing pajamas to a lab coat as she pushed up glasses that suddenly appeared on her nose. "It is quite simple, really," she assured him as she checked a list on a clipboard in her hand. "All you have to do is plug in, as if you were accessing your computer virtually. I'll take care of the rest."

"Right," David said as he finished hooking up the headset and typed in a string of commands. "Logging in."

"David," ARIEL said before he could press the enter key, "Are you sure you want to do this? I can get you there, but there's no way of knowing what will happen when you get there. Even if you are able to stop whatever it is that's happening, I don't know if I'll be able to reverse the process."

David smiled comfortingly back at her. "I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. I have perfect faith in your abilities."

Her eyes went wide with worry as she leaned closer to the screen. "Maybe, but I don't. I've run every simulation that I can for the return trip, but there's only a 16% chance that I'll be able to bring you back. You may never make it back home, David! You may be stuck there forever!"

David leaned back as he let her results sink in. 16% chance of ever returning. Wasn't much, but it was a risk he would have to take. "You said 16%. That means that there is a way, just not a very good chance of you finding it on demand, right?" He watched as she nodded in affirmation, her eyes still wide with worry. "But by the same token, if I can get rid of whatever is going on there, we will have all of the time we need to figure it out. If we have to try one hundred times, we will eventually find it, right?"

She looked unsure as she put her finger on her chin in thought. "I guess so, but that's an awfully long time, isn't it?"

David shrugged. "So I get to do some sightseeing. This place has been a little dull, anyway. The only way I would be really worried is if you said there was no chance of bringing me back."

She implored him with her eyes again. "Is there anyway I can make you believe that there was no chance?"

David chuckled slightly. "Nope, sorry. You already said it. The more time we waste here, the more damage that is happening there. Let's get it over with."

She bowed her head again. "Okay, everything's ready here." She looked up as she accessed the appropriate protocols. "Bio-Link activated!" she said as David pressed Enter.

The next instant, David's whole world was filled with a bright, noiseless flash.

* * *

He landed hard on his stomach. He groaned as he stood up. "Why did she have to drop me in here?" He looked around, taking in his surroundings. The place was a disaster. Everywhere he looked, debris covered the ground. Empty shells of what looked like bombed-out buildings was all that remained of what had been a bustling, downtown business area. About three blocks down, what looked like a piece of a giant eight ball laid on the remains of a building, the pole that it had once been on laying across the street on top of several cars.

He whistled. "This place looks like the Apocalypse hit early. Whatever happened here, this was surely the epicenter."

"What would you say if it wasn't?" ARIEL's voice seemed to come out of nowhere.

"Then I'd love to see what the attack was focused on."

"Trust me," she returned, "you don't want to see it. Not that it matters. There's no way to get to it on foot, anyway."

"You're serious, aren't you? This isn't where it was centered, was it?"

"No, it was the core processing center. I've accessed a database on the area, and it seems that it is referred to as the Principal's Office. Or it was. Whatever is left of it can't constitute for much anymore."

"What do you mean, 'whatever is left?' Can't you tell?"

"No. There is some sort of field blocking my scans."

David felt a weird chill go up his spine, as if he was being watched. "ARIEL, I think your voice-from-the-sky routine is drawing too much attention. Why don't you get down here and try to blend in?"

A moment later, something flashed beside him, just to disappear again with a loud snap, like a rubber band snapping back into place. Instead, his screen popped up on his bracer. A vid screen opened, showing ARIEL in her room, hacking from the billows of smoke that rose up behind her.

"ARIEL! Are you okay?"

"Firewall," she coughed. "I ran right into it. Whoever is running this system must be trying to stop any further infection, although, if you ask me, it's probably too late for that. I'll be fine, though. Don't worry about me. I just wasn't paying attention to where I was going. Give me a moment, and I'll route around it."

In another instant, there was another flash beside him as ARIEL appeared, dressed in a midriff and jeans. "There! Much better! It'll take more than a little firewall to keep me out!"

"Shhh!" David put his fingers to her lips as he looked around, trying to pick something out from the rubble. "I think someone's watching us."

Immediately, ARIEL started looking around. She looked like she was searching with only her eyes, but there was no doubt in David's mind that her scanners were on full alert. After a moment, she shook her head. "Sorry, David, but I'm not picking up anything. Are you sure there's someone there?"

"Yeah," he said, giving a nervous nod. "I'm positive."

Something came flying through the air, but before they could react, it caught David in the middle of the back.. He lunged forward with the force of the blow, but ARIEL caught him. She hissed as she drew her hand back and looked where it had been. Embedded in David's coat was what looked like a bone of some kind. She pulled it out and scanned it. She gasped when she processed the results. It was a poison-tipped dart.

"David, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I told you there was someone here. Luckily, whatever it was hit my sword, and not me." He stood back up, pulling out the sword and checking it for damage. Just above the cross guard was a deep pit where it had hit. He sighed deeply, glad that he had worn it. That part had been right between his shoulder blades.

Another came whizzing at them, but he saw it coming and brought his sword up to block, knocking it away. "ARIEL, are you picking up anything yet?"

"No," she answered, panic in her voice. "I'm not seeing anything. I'm as blind as a bat."

"Try scanning for a lack of space."

"What?"

He blocked another dart as a grim look crossed his face. "The darts aren't coming that fast, so I'm betting there's only one of them. They're probably using a cloaking mechanism to hide themselves. That should produce a blind spot in your scan. Look for that, then lock on to it."

"Right." She turned to look around the area, then stopped as she squinted in one direction. "There, I see it! It's a woman, standing over there by that pole that's still standing."

David turned toward the area that she had indicated. "Is she infected?"

"Not that I can tell."

"Good. Scan her body for high heat output. That should be the machine that's cloaking her."

She nodded. "I see it. It's on her waist."

David pulled out a pair of sunglasses from a pocket in his trench coat. He slipped them on as he pulled his pistol. "Transfer the image to my lenses. I'm going to pick it off." The image inside his glasses changed to negative colors. By the pole, he could see a dark blue silhouette of a woman, standing with another dart at the ready. On her hip, a white light glowed brightly. She sent the dart at him, but he lunged to the side, giving himself a clear shot at the machine. He fired one shot, and more white lights flashed as the woman covered her eyes, leaning away from it. He pulled up the glasses so he could see what was happening.

She faded in slowly as the cloaking effects wore off. She glared at them in shock as the flash died down, her amber eyes bright with anger under her blue-green hair. Around her waist and on her legs, like a pair of leather pants, green scales gleamed brightly in the setting sun. Her chest, covered only by a black bra-like top, heaved heavily in her anger. "You viruses will never get your filthy hands on me," she yelled as another dart popped into her hand. "I'll see you both deleted before you'll get me to tell you anything!"

David slowly holstered his gun, his free hand up in surrender. "We don't want to hurt anyone. We received a distress plea a few minutes ago. We're here to help."

The woman didn't even seem fazed. "Your tricks aren't going to work on me. I won't let you live. Your kind destroyed my world," she shouted, gesturing wildly to take in the wreckage. "Now it's time for me to return the favor."

Out of nowhere, a jet-black limousine rolled over the debris and in between the three of them. It kept going, however, until it came to the last set of windows. Those windows rolled down on both sides, revealing a large humanoid form. It was as black as the car, but its lips, eyes, and joints were all outlined in lime green.

It looked over at David and ARIEL, squinted as if trying to recognize them, then turned to the woman. His face broke into a semblance of a smile. "Ah, AndrAIa," he addressed her, his throat echoing a deep, rough bass. "So nice to see you again! You've turned into such a beautiful young lady. Game Hopping did wonders for you."

AndrAIa's eyes went to slits as she scowled back. "Hello, Megabyte. And here I thought we got rid of you for good."

Megabyte chuckled. "Now, that's not a very nice way of greeting an old friend."

"You're not a 'friend,' Megabyte. You almost destroyed all of Mainframe."

"Yes," he agreed as he looked out the window, examining the destruction. "Although it seems I've been beaten out of the chance to do it again. But no matter. You see, I've found a new employer in your present troublemaker. Yes, she gave me quite a good offer. I get to rule Mainframe, and have unlimited access to the supercomputer, while she's off conquering more worlds."

"And while she's gone, you'll build up power behind her back until you have enough to destroy her and take over her entire empire in one fell swoop, is that it, Megabyte?"

He shrugged as he chuckled again. "That's the general idea." He imitated shock as her scowl deepened. "What? I guess you've got me figured out already."

Meanwhile, David leaned over to ARIEL's ear. "Get a scan on this guy, would you? I don't like the looks of him."

She nodded silently.

Megabyte's eyes shot up as he turned back toward them. "Which one of you little brats was trying to scan me?"

David stepped protectively in front of ARIEL. If this guy really was a virus, then she was vulnerable to infection. "It was me," he lied. "Although I didn't get to finish it. Would you mind filling in the gaps?"

Megabyte glared at him for a moment, then threw his head back as he laughed. "You almost had me, boy. I almost believed you. But that scan finished before I asked." He opened the door and stepped out, revealing himself to be of enormous proportions. He easily stood eight feet tall, and his hands ended in long, razor-sharp talons. His toes were equally sharp, and they dug into the ground as he stepped out. He reached over and rapped on the top of the car as he shut the door, and the driver pulled off. "You blew your chance, boy. I was amused at first, but you made a fatal mistake when you lied to me. I would have dealt with your friend, but I would have let you go. Now, I'm going to have to delete you both." He stretched up to his full height, his claws outstretched like so many blades.

David pulled his sword again, and held it out in front of him at the ready. "Stay back, ARIEL," he warned as the hologram obeyed, cringing back up against the wall behind her. "I'll handle this guy."

Megabyte laughed again. "You just give it your best shot, boy. I'm going to tear you to ribbons." His claw came down in a blur, but David brought his sword up to stop it.

He swung again and again, each one forcing David back another step as he braced to block them. The virus took one last, hard swing, and David found his back up against the wall, vying for strength against the giant's powerful obsidian arms.

Megabyte's face broke into a victorious smile. "Now, what are you going to do, boy? You're not bad, I'll give you that much, but now you're up against the wall, and there's nowhere else to run." He increased the pressure on the sword, slowly forcing it back.

__

I have to protect ARIEL, David thought as he struggled to hold his ground. _I can't let this monster get to her._ Involuntarily, he glanced over at her, huddled under the wall. It was just for an instant, but it was long enough for Megabyte to notice.

He followed his gaze, and saw her. He turned back to David, his smile bigger and more sadistic than ever. "I see now. You are trying to buy that girl time to get away! She is important to you, isn't she?"

Suddenly, David realized what was going through his mind. His eyes widened in fear. "You wouldn't! She's defenseless!"

Megabyte chuckled. "Well, then, I guess you don't know me very well, do you, boy?"

In an instant, he was running toward ARIEL. He pulled his arm back as he ran at her, and David saw the fear on her face. "NO!!!"

A loud blast from a high-caliber gun split the air, and Megabyte bent over backwards as the impact hit him. He hit the ground, his claws just inches from ARIEL, as two men hurdled over a wall in the debris. One was green with a biker vest, while the other was blue with silver hair and white armor. David recognized them instantly as the guys from the transmission. Matrix ran over to AndrAIa, trying to make sure she was alright, while Bob went over to ARIEL.

"Are you alright," he asked as he bent down to her.

She stared up, lost for a moment in his eyes. Finally, she nodded gently.

He smiled back. "That's good." He turned and pointed to AndrAIa and Matrix. Go over there with those two and wait with them, will you?"

She nodded quickly and hurried to obey.

"Bob!" Megabyte scoffed as he got to his feet. "Some things never change."

Bob scowled as he formed a cloud of white energy in his hand. "Not for you, they don't."

Megabyte grinned widely. "On the contrary, Bob, things have changed a great deal for me." He threw his head back as he laughed again, black energy circling forward from his chest. It surrounded him, and he disappeared, the echoes of his laughter still hanging in the air.

Bob glared angrily as he let the energy in his hand dissipate, his teeth bared fiercely at the place the virus had been standing. He turned on his heel and strode toward David. By the time he got to him, though, his temper was under control. "Need a hand?" he asked, a smile on his face as he offered his hand out to him.

"Thanks," David smiled back as he took his hand and Bob helped pull him up. He stared over at where Megabyte disappeared. "Who was that guy?"

Bob followed his gaze, and the glare returned to his face. "That was Megabyte, one of the toughest viruses on the Web. He has been infecting Mainframe for years. We thought we finally got rid of him a few years back, but it seems he's come back. Frankly, you're lucky to be alive after going toe-to-toe with him like that."

AndrAIa came up next to them, a comforting arm around ARIEL's shoulders. "He said something about being in Maria's employment. He said that she had offered him a deal he couldn't refuse."

Matrix's eye spun around as it turned from green to red. "Maria and Megabyte have teamed up? That isn't good."

"No, it isn't," Bob agreed as he rubbed his chin. "But why would Maria need to team up with anyone? She almost has this entire system under her thumb. Why would she need him?"

"He said that she was going to give him control of Mainframe, and access to the supercomputer when she left," David spoke up as he retrieved his sword and returned it to its sheath. "I don't know much about your problems, but my guess is she's getting ready to move on to another system, and he's here to keep order while she's away."

Bob let out a deep sigh as he dropped his arms. "For the sake of Mainframe, and the entire Net, I hope you're wrong."

* * *

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Megabyte has returned to Mainframe, under the "employment" of the mysterious Maria. Who is she, and what is she up to? Will David be able to convince the Guardians of Mainframe that he's there to help? Will he even be able to help when Maria has Megabyte as an ace up her sleeve? Does Maria know what she is getting into by trusting Megabyte? Questions will be answered, and new ones will be raised in the next chapter of Reboot: The User!


	2. Explanations

****

The User

Chapter 2

Explanations

By: Ninmast

They walked into the Guardians' makeshift headquarters, Bob, AndrAIa and Matrix going first, with David and ARIEL in tow.

David looked around the room as they came in. There were several people, including a little boy that looked like a younger version of Matrix, a woman in a white suit with a mask over her face, a purple skinned woman with pink hair and a sword, and a blonde guy that looked like a surfer from Australia. In a corner sat the woman that had made the transmission, her leather outfit showing her best features.

She looked up as they came in, light spreading across her face when she saw Bob. "Bob! You're back! When AndrAIa said that she had spotted a couple of viruses, we were afraid that you guys wouldn't be able to get there in time!" She ran over and hugged him tightly. "I was so afraid that you might be hurt. So Megabyte's really back, then?"

Bob's face saddened as he hugged her back. "Yeah, he's really back. Don't worry about us being hurt. That's a risk all of us run, now."

The Australian guy perked up as he noticed the two teenagers behind them. "Hullo, Bob! It looks like you caught yourself a couple a' sprouts while you were out, eh, mate?"

Bob grinned at the Australian's description. He stepped aside as he guided the two of them forward. "These kids were there when Megabyte showed up. Moments before, however, they had to defend themselves from AndrAIa, over here." AndrAIa blushed slightly as she bowed her head. Although he had done it deliberately, Bob went on as if she hadn't reacted at all. "When Megabyte showed up, the girl tried to scan him. It ticked him off, so the boy got in front of her and tried to fight Megabyte, himself."

Dot gasped as she put her hands over her mouth. "Megabyte must be twice the size of you. Why in the world would you try to fight him? You should have run."

David shrugged. "It's what I came here for. Don't you recognize me? You sent a distress signal a few minutes ago. I answered, remember?"

Dot's eyes widened with recognition. "Oh, yes! I recognize you now. What took you so long?"

Indignity flared inside him. "We came as fast as we could!"

ARIEL came up beside him and put her hand on his shoulder as she shook her head. He picked up her thought signals on a receiver in his ear. _We came in minutes, but this is a computer, remember? To them, it's been more like months_. She turned to face Dot. "We really are sorry, but our system is a lot slower than yours, so it took us a while to get here."

Dot nodded in understanding, while AndrAIa smiled at Matrix. "Look familiar?" she whispered in his ear. "A short-tempered guy that likes to fight, with a calm girl to keep him under control?"

Matrix snorted rudely, looking away as he crossed his arms. "I'm not that bad!"

AndrAIa just smiled knowingly, and looked back at the teenagers.

"No offense, Sugar," the swordswoman said, a Texan drawl prevalent in her speech, "but surely you kids aren't the best help your system has to offer?"

David's temper flared again. "We are the best help our system has to offer! In fact, we are the only help our system has to offer. Our system was left defenseless so we could help you."

The woman stepped back in shock. "I, I'm sorry. I didn't know," she stuttered. "I had no idea that you left your system helpless to help us."

The Australian looked up from his surfboard. "It can't be a very dangerous system if you sprouts are all the blokes have for Guardians."

David rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, it's really a backwater system. On the fringes of the universe, actually."

The Australian's brows went up at the comment, but his eyes remained hidden behind his sunglasses. David was suddenly suspicious of him. That comment meant something to him, and it wasn't good.

Little did he know that similar thoughts were running through the mind of the other man. "Universe? Why would he refer to his system in terms of the universe?"

"Well, uh," Dot said, trying to break the silence that had fallen between the two of them, "universe, huh? That must be pretty far."

"Yes, it is," ARIEL answered. She knew that David probably didn't realize the mistake that he made, but she had to find some way to fix it. She didn't even understand what it was, but she was pretty sure that they wouldn't trust someone from outside the computer. "It's a very small system, but at the same time, it's pretty big. It's like a small town in the middle of a trade route. It's small to its inhabitants, but its almost the crux of the entire Net."

The little boy's eyes went wide. "Do you mean that you guys are from the Supercomputer?"

Bob smiled as he ruffled the boy's hair. "I don't think so, Enzo. The Supercomputer is huge." He turned back to them. "Although I've never heard of such a small system being so crucial to the net, or something that important being so safe."

David smiled widely. "That's because few people know about it. I'm willing to bet that not even the higher ups in the Supercomputer are fully aware of its existence."

Behind his shades, the Australian's eyes closed to slits as he thought to himself, _And I bet I know why._ He spoke lightly, though, when he brought up what was on is mind. "So where are you sprouts from, anyway?"

"Iowa," David answered without stopping to think.

"You're right," the Australian agreed, "I've never heard of it." His face, however, remained expressionless. He hadn't expected to recognize it.

Bob, however, was his usual innocent self. "What's your address? Maybe that would help."

David looked hesitant, but ARIEL put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure it will be okay if we tell them," she assured him. She turned to them as she recited a set of numbers that David knew to be the IP address for their computer back home.

Most of them listened politely, but the surfer seemed to pay especially close attention.

"And this is where both of you are from?"

ARIEL shook her head. "No, that's where I am from. David is originally from somewhere else, but he was there for a few minutes before we came here."

David thought that was an awfully short time for her to be bragging about, but the others seemed to be impressed, so he kept to himself. Must be another one of those relative time things.

Dot, however, nodded enthusiastically. "Ah, yes. Bob hasn't been here very long, either. Well, longer than you, of course, but he's still only been here a couple of hours." She grinned widely. "In a small system like this, he's just now getting to be accepted by all of the locals. If it weren't for the fact that he's saved Mainframe so many times, he'd probably still be treated like an outsider."

"Mainframe," David repeated. "Is that the name of this place?"

"That's right, Sugar," the swordswoman affirmed. "This here's Mainframe, and you're looking at the last surviving citizens, right here." She gestured around the room with her hand. "But enough talking. I still don't believe we've all been properly introduced."

David nodded. "My name is David Connor, and this is my friend, ARIEL."

ARIEL nodded slightly, causing her hair to bob up and down lightly. "Pleased to meet you."

Bob nodded, then picked up the other side of the introductions. "My name is Bob, Guardian number 452. I am sworn to mend and defend. I have been assigned to Mainframe to be its protector." He gestured to Matrix, who nodded. "That's Matrix, another Guardian, who was compiled in this system. I assigned him to the duty in case a time came when I wasn't here. I believe you've already met AndrAIa," he said, gesturing to the tall woman beside Matrix, who waved slightly and gave them a dazzling smile. He then directed their attention to a large red and yellow dog that snoozed at their feet. "The dog's Friskett." The dog's eyes opened at the mention of his name. He looked up, then saw the two new faces. He leaned back and growled.

"Whoa, Friskett," Matrix said, grabbing hold of the dog. "They're friends!"

Friskett looked up at Matrix, then back at them with a puzzled look on his face. He went over to them and started sniffing around their shoes.

"Hey, boy," ARIEL said gently as she bent down to the dog.

"Uh, ARIEL," Dot said, holding her hand over her mouth, "that may not be a good idea. He doesn't take very well to strangers."

ARIEL smiled. "Ah, don't worry. He's just a big sweetheart, aren't you, boy?" She reached down and scratched Friskett behind the ears while everyone else looked on dumbstruck. Friskett leaned into her hand as his tail beat the ground happily. When she stopped, he jumped on her, licking her face thoroughly. "Friskett," she laughed as she tried to protect her face, "I know you like me, but get off of me, will you? You weigh a ton!"

The dog obediently got off of her and sat back on its haunches to look at her.

"Whoa," Bob said, shocked. He turned to Matrix. "You think Friskett is going soft?"

David reached down to scratch Friskett, but barely pulled his hand back in time as the dog promptly tried to bite it off, then growled at him, almost daring him to try it again.

"I guess not," Matrix answered, a grin spreading across his face.

Enzo ran up to them, and proceeded to talk to ARIEL in his usual rush. "Hi, I'm Enzo. Friskett is my dog, and he's very protective. He's also a very good judge of character, so if he thinks you're okay, then I'll trust you. You're pretty. You look like a real nice person. Do you have a little brother? I'm Dot's little brother. Matrix used to be her little brother. In fact, him and I are the same person. He ended up in a game, though, and he compiled faster. Then, when he got back, Mainframe rebooted, and I came back."

The entire thing happened in a matter of moments, and ARIEL leaned back as she tried to process all of it. "Wow, you're sure energetic, aren't you?"

Enzo just smiled widely at her, and Bob suggested that they get on with introductions.

* * *

Megabyte sat in a tall chair as he manipulated objects in a vid screen. He opened an image, and increased the size of the screen. "Here it is, Mistress. This is an image from our confrontation with the newcomers." His throat clenched as he said it. He couldn't stand all of the groveling that he was having to do. He just reminded himself of the Supercomputer, and all of the power he would have when he had access to it. Then Maria would be the one calling him Master. He shoved the thoughts out of his mind as she answered him.

"Good. They intrigue me, you know. No one knows where they came from. Both of them popped out of nowhere. Very strange, indeed. The boy, however, confounds me to no end."

Megabyte raised an eyebrow. "The boy?"

He heard her get up and walk toward him. She came out of the shadows into the light from the dozens of screens open in front of them, and he saw her reflection in one of them. She was beautiful. Her lithe form was wrapped in an oriental dress of plain red silk. Her hair flowed loose down her back like a river of sunshine. He caught her smell as her pale arm reached around him to point at the picture, her bright, blue eyes focused on the image.

His eyes almost rolled back in his head as the scent of her wafted up into his nose. It was intoxicating. Everything about her was heavenly. Of course, that was the true ability that allowed her to be such an effective infection. No one could understand how something so beautiful could be viral. Sprites had only to lay their eyes on her, and they would be so entranced by her beauty that they would flock to serve such an angel. None of them suspected for an instant that this angel had fallen. Mainframe had not been destroyed by powerful weapons from an invading army, but by her own people, turning against each other and tearing their best friends' throats out. He often laid awake at night, wishing that he had seen the beautiful chaos and destruction with his own eyes.

"There," she said, her sweet voice, like a silver bell, bringing him back to reality. "That boy."

"Yes," he agreed, "that boy is something. He is strong, without a doubt. He would not be a physical match for me, but he would prove an unbearable needle in your side if he joins them. He is quick to process on his feet. He is definitely someone to be watched."

She giggled slightly, giving him a perfect smile. "You'd like to think that your mind is still your own, Megabyte, but you worry about me more than you would like to admit."

"Of course I do," he returned, staring her straight back into her face, his own face expressionless. "If I want to get to the Supercomputer, it would make it much easier on me if your data remains intact."

A small frown crossed her face, making her entire demeanor look crestfallen. He felt something like pity start to build in his gut from her influence, but squashed it with little effort, instead, sneering back at her. She would find it very difficult to play with the heart of a virus that prided himself on not having one.

She brightened up quickly, though, as she laughed at him. "Megabyte, one of these days, I'm going to crack that wall you have around yourself, and then I'm going to see what you're really like."

He continued to sneer. This was her personal challenge with him, trying to get him to "open up to her." "You still believe that there is some other side to me that the world has yet to discover?"

She smiled back at him, a light, cheerful smile to counter his evil sneer. "Of course. Everyone has two sides to them. They have one that they show to the public, how they want to be seen, then another that they keep to themselves, and only allow it to reveal itself when they are alone." She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. "in private."

The thoroughly wonderful move, which would have caused most male sprites to melt, had little effect on the emotionless Megabyte. He closed his eyes to slits in irritation. "Shouldn't we get back to business? We were discussing the boy, I believe."

Maria disentangled herself from his back reluctantly as she came back around in front of him. "Yes, about the boy, you're wrong."

Megabyte's brow went back up. "Do you not believe my assumption of him?"

She shook her head, causing her hair to flow lightly back and forth in the air. "No, you misunderstood me. I meant that his strength wasn't what I was referring to." She leaned closer to the screen again as she stared at the boy. "There's something odd about him, but I can't put my finger on it. He's not like any other sprite I've ever seen. It's as if he doesn't belong here. Or anywhere else. He's completely out of place."

Megabyte nodded. "Yes, I got the same impression. The girl that was with him, however, also piqued my curiosity. I felt like I was looking at something bigger than it appears. There is more to that girl than there appears to be."

"Yes. There is more to both of them than meets the eye." She turned to go.

Megabyte turned in his chair to follow her. "Where are you going?"

She stopped and tossed another stunning smile over her shoulder. "You aren't the only one with plans to follow through with, dear Megabyte. Just keep an eye on the headquarters of those little sprites."

He pulled one vid screen in front of the others that showed the building from an aerial view. "Tell me something," he asked her before she slipped out the door. "How is it that you know where the annoying things are, and yet you don't wipe them off of the face of their beloved system?"

She turned around fully to face him, still smiling. "This system is as good as mine, anyway. I keep them around because I find them entertaining. It provides a bit of a break in the dull processes involved in running such a small system."

* * *

Around the room, everyone was doing something different. ARIEL and Dot were looking at maps of Mainframe, discussing layout and what parts of the city were still online. David and the Texan woman, who they learned was named Mouse, were comparing swords. Matrix and the surfer, who was actually an advanced search engine called Ray Tracer, were having an arm wrestling match while Enzo cheered on his older form, who really didn't need the support. Bob and AndrAIa were talking while they scratched Friskett behind the ears.

ARIEL suddenly looked up from the maps, fear in her eyes.

"Is something wrong, ARIEL?" Dot asked, also looking up.

Instead of answering, she stood up and walked over to the door, throwing it open and sticking her head outside. "David," she said hesitantly, "I think we've got trouble."

Instantly, everyone in the room was on their feet, whatever weapons they had at the ready.

"What is it, ARIEL," David asked, sheathing his sword and drawing a pistol as he walked over to her to peek out the door, himself.

"Viruses," she answered, "or at least infected data. Whatever they are, they're coming this way."

"Do you think they know we're here?" Matrix asked, coming up behind them. Since he was a good foot and a half taller than either of them, he could easily see over their heads.

ARIEL shook her head. "I don't know. I can't tell."

Ray looked around, stunned that no one was moving. "Well, what are we gonna do? Are we gonna just stand here, or what?"

Bob paced for a few moments before answering. "We don't have much of a choice. If they have any scanning equipment, they'll know we're here. We have to get out there and lead them off."

* * *

They sat back, hidden behind debris, waiting for the infected sprites to come. It wasn't long. They saw them as they came over a hill. It was a squad of only ten binomes, their covering white as snow. In the lead was a tall sprite, dressed in glistening silver armor, and a golden sword at his side.

"Wow," David whispered in awe, "they look like holy knights marching on a Crusade."

"More like an Inquisition," Dot whispered from beside him, "and we're the targets. They come through every once in a while, offering clean sprites and binomes an ultimatum. Either they convert and join them, or they are executed. They haven't shown up for a while, though, since there aren't many people left here."

As they got closer, Friskett bent back and growled. Matrix tried to quiet him down, but the knight in front heard.

"Ho, there," he called as he turned in the direction the sound had come from, an Old English accent heavy on his tongue. "Reveal thyselves, for we mean thee no harm."

"I'll reveal myself," Matrix muttered, his eye spinning to red as he drew his gun.

"No, Matrix," Bob said, reaching over to put his hand on his back. "That isn't necessary. We can overpower them easily if need be, but I don't want to harm a fellow sprite if I can help it. Let's try to talk to them first. Perhaps we can get them to go away without deleting them." He stood up and faced the knight, his silver armor glistening in the digital sun just as splendidly as the other's. "Hello," he called, "excuse our dog. He doesn't like strangers."

The knight looked at Bob's chest, where his black and yellow icon was displayed prominently. "Thou art a Guardian, are thou not?"

"Yes," he affirmed. "My name is Bob, Guardian number 452, assigned to Mainframe. What is yours?"

The knight stepped back in shock as the others stood up behind him, revealing their numbers. "I am called Crondell, the Silver Knight, Commander of Her Greatness Maria's fine military."

"Crondell?" ARIEL asked, snickering. "What kind of a name is that?"

Crondell was speechless again when he laid eyes on ARIEL, though for what reason, they couldn't tell. His face was still hidden behind his helmet. "I know not what name thou wast expecting, only that thou asketh my name, and I answereth." Suddenly, he surprised them all by removing his helmet as he dropped down on one knee before her, golden locks falling down to his neck. He brushed some away from his face as he looked up to her with dark blue eyes. He took her hand in both of his, mindless that he had gauntlets on, and held it to his chest. ARIEL was so shocked that she didn't resist. "Please, torture my mind no longer, and tell me what wonderful name the User, in his infinite wisdom, has given to an angel such as thyself! For, surely, it must be as beautiful as the sun as it sets behind the hills in the evening, and as clean and clear as the breeze on a midsummer's eve!"

ARIEL held her free hand over her own chest in her surprise. "Uh, my name? It's ARIEL."

His face lit up as if he had just heard Heaven's carols. "ARIEL! The Lioness of God! How wonderful! How splendid! How perfect! For thou hast a beauty that burns brighter than the Sun in the sky, and as crystal clear as all of the stars in the heavens!"

David stepped up beside her. He wasn't sure why, but he was suddenly very leery of the knight. "What brings you here, Sir Crondell," he asked politely.

Crondell looked up, and immediately rushed to stand back up, holding his helmet under his arm. "I lead a party to scout yon sector to discover whether it be fit to rebuild."

David raised an eyebrow at this, but continued, gently and politely enough, but still probing deeper toward what he wanted to know. "But why would a commander, such as yourself, be leading a scouting party? Surely someone of your stature has more important things that occupy his time?"

"Whatever Mistress Maria personally requests is more important than anything else could possibly be."

Now they were getting to the meat of things. "Wow," David said, awe in his voice. "This Maria must be some lady."

Crondell's eyes lit up as the question brought back memories of Her Greatness. "Oh, yes! Indeed, she is! She is an angel, a goddess, even! Her beauty is like none on the Net, and her whim is my life's purpose. Thou must surely see her with thine own eyes to truly understand what drives me in my quest."

David smiled gently. He was beginning to see what was happening. "Indeed, I must," he said, accidentally slipping into the knight's lingo. He shook his head quickly in an effort to clear it. It must be the light shining off of that armor. "I mean, you're right. It sounds like you have found something really spectacular."

"Nay, good man," the knight answered, smiling widely. "Nay, she found me!"

A questioning look entered David's eye. "What do you mean?" He was getting an awful headache, and it felt like that knight's sword was being driven into his skull. It was the light, it had to be. Darn! Why did he have to keep it so polished? All he wanted was to get this over with and go find a place to curl up and lay down. He forced the urge down. He needed this information. He needed to know what they were up against.

The knight's eyes went stormy in reflection. "Milady found me in another system. I was just a boy from the streets of that world. Nay, I was worse. I was from the gutter. I was not fit to lay my eyes on such as her. I caught a glimpse of her walking by once, quietly down the street in a robe. I was sure she was the most beautiful sprite I had ever seen. Her hair was like sunshine, and her eyes like the sky. Not much was showing of her skin, for she had it all covered with the cloak. There were some men following her, and my hand went to a sword that I kept hidden beneath what little cover I could find. That sword was my one treasure, the one thing I held dear.

"They came around the corner after her and drew weapons, threatening to delete her if she did anything. She tried to defend herself, and they attacked. I jumped in the way, deflecting with my sword, but they had guns. By the time they noticed I was there, the impact had already destroyed the blade. It angered me, and I rushed them with the broken blade, and slew them.

"Milady bent down to thank me afterwards, but for all of her beauty, mine eyes were only for the sword. It had been the one thing I had of my family, and it was broken. It started to rain, and I couldn't tell if the water on my face was from my tears or the rain. Apparently, she could tell, because she asked to see the sword. I handed it to her, a bit reluctantly. A glow came from her hands, and it was fixed as good as new. There was one difference, however. The hilt had changed to gold under her touch. I asked her what had happened, and she smiled. I shall never forget that smile. It had such light and warmth in it that I could not help but be glad that I had defended her. The next thing she said surprised me. She asked if I would accompany her on a journey. She said it would be a long way, and I might never see my home again. I laughed, because that wouldn't be much of a loss. I had no home, and anywhere was better than the streets that had been my bed.

"Sometimes I wonder who saved whom then. It was I who risked my life to deflect the bullets, but it was she who gave that life meaning. Since then, I have followed her wherever she went, and I trust her with my life, for it is she who truly gave it to me."

David's headache, splitting though it was, lost his focus for a moment as he soaked up what the knight said. The virus that had destroyed this world had _helped_ this man? Why? This didn't make any sense! Why would a virus help someone?

ARIEL's face widened in shock as she stared at his sword hand. A fleck of white had appeared there, and it was glowing slightly. She looked at his face and, though he kept it looking completely calm, beads of sweat were starting to form on his forehead and on the back of his neck. She went up to him and put her hand on his shoulder, pulling him away slightly.

She turned to the knight and gave him her best smile. "Well, we certainly don't want to keep you waiting anymore. I'm sure you don't want to keep your Lady waiting." Her thoughts, however, were once again directed toward David. _Go back with the rest of them, David. Something about him isn't good for you._ She reached down and squeezed his hand reassuringly, and he turned around and walked back to them. It caught her as odd, though, because he didn't even put up an argument.

Crondell didn't seem to notice. He only stared back at ARIEL, a dumb smile plastered on his face.

One of the binomes walked up to him. "Sir, don't you think that we should be continuing on our mission?"

Crondell snapped out of it, shaking his head. "Of course! Of course! Please forgive me, milady," he said, bowing slightly to ARIEL, "but duty dost call rather loudly at times." He paused hesitantly. "I do pray that I shall see thee again someday." He seemed to wait for an answer, but ARIEL only smiled kindly at him, and he hesitantly slipped his helmet back on and gave the order for the binomes to fall back in.

ARIEL stared after them for a while, and when Crondell turned to wave, she even waved back, but when they were over the hill and out of sight, she rushed back over to David.

Bob walked up behind her. "Hey, why did you tell him to leave? Who knows what he's really up to?" He looked around at David, who had turned a little pale, and was leaning up against what was left of a wall, his eyes only partly open. "Hey, is he alright?"

ARIEL turned on him. "No, he's not alright! Something about that guy was messing with him! He was straining against something, and his hand …" She gasped as she remembered his hand, then grabbed it and stared at it closely. Yes, there was the white spot. It wasn't glowing anymore, but it was there, only a little bigger than a pencil eraser.

Bob bent down beside her to look. His eyes went wide as his senses went to alert. "Is that an infection?"

David's eyes snapped open as he jerked his hand back. "An infection? No, it couldn't be! That's impossible! I can't be infected!"

Ray walked up behind them. "What makes you so sure about that? Yeah, Guardians are made up of tougher stuff than most sprites, but even they can be infected. I've seen it with my own eyes."

"Yeah, well, I'm not a Guardian, okay?" He mentally slapped himself. He hadn't been able to stop, and he had let it slip. Suddenly, seven sets of eyes were staring intently at him.

Ray, however, only smiled. "I know that. I've known it ever since I set my eyes on you, boy. All sprites and binomes have icons, but Guardians always keep their icons clearly displayed. Granted, not as prominently as our mate, Bob, over here, but always where you can see it. Even your friend has an icon attached to her neckband. You, however, don't have any icon at all. Which raises the question, if you aren't who you say you are, who are you, and how can we trust you?"

"Uh, I, uh …"

A shrill scream cut through the air, distracting them all.

Bob turned toward the sound. "What was that?"

ARIEL's eyes went distant as she scanned the area. "It was a girl. Something fell. She's trapped."

Bob's eyes widened with shock as he started moving. "Come on, we have to help her!"

Ray held his hand up as he shouted after him. "Bob, what about the sprouts?"

"Huh?" Bob stopped in his tracks to turn around and face him.

"Well, we can't just leave them here, can we? And until we find out more about them, we sure can't take them with us."

Bob held his chin with one hand, the other he held crossed across his chest. "You're right. Matrix! AndrAIa! Stay here with them."  


"But, Bob," Matrix called after him, "what if there's trouble?"

"If there's trouble, we'll call. Right now, as far as we know, it's just a girl trapped under some debris. We'll be back in no time." With that, the rest of them turned and ran in the direction of the screams.

Matrix stared after them for a moment, then turned away to flop down on a fallen lamppost.

David watched for a few moments, then walked toward him. Before he had taken the first step, Matrix pulled his gun and had it pointed at his chest.

"Don't move, David, or I'll blow you to pieces."

David smiled as he put his hands up in the air, but he stopped. "Relax. I just wanted to give a peace offering." With one hand, he reached back for his sword.

In an instant, Matrix was on his feet, his eye spinning to a dangerous red. "Touch that sword, and you won't be active long enough to draw it."

"Don't worry," David said as gently as he could. He could feel AndrAIa and ARIEL staring at the two of them now. "I'm just going to take it out, nice and slow, then set it down on the ground. I just figured that, since I'm your prisoner now, and all, you'd want me unarmed."

Matrix's scowl deepened and his eye stayed red, but he nodded slightly, gesturing with the gun for him to proceed. Slowly, David pulled the sword out and did as he had said, laying it on the ground at his feet. Matrix looked at his belt. "The guns, too." David did so. "Now, go over there and sit by ARIEL." Once again, David did as he was told.

Silently, the two of them conferred about how to get out of this mess with their lives.

* * *

Dot coughed as she waved her hand through the cloud of dust that covered the area. "What happened here?"

Bob, who was only a foot away from her, could barely see her outline. "I don't know. My guess is the remains of a building fell over."

"I'm sorry, Bob," Hexadecimal's voice said from behind him, "but it would take an awfully big building to create this kind of dust."

"Can you use your powers to blow it away?"

"I suppose. Hold on a moment."

Shortly, they could see a glow amid the dust cloud, and they felt a slight breeze against their faces. The breeze picked up power until it was a full-fledged wind, and the dust disappeared in its wake.

They could do little more than stare when they saw what the dust revealed. Finally, Mouse found her tongue. "I don't suppose that building would fit your description, would it, sugar?"

Sure enough, right in front of them were the remains of the tallest building they had ever seen. It stretched both ways as far as they could see, and it had been heavy enough to put quite a dent in the ground when it fell.

Dot cautiously walked up to it, resting her hand up against the cold brick. "That's strange. I don't remember a building this big being anywhere in Mainframe."

Bob walked up beside her, worry plain on his face. "Neither do I. Something's not right, here, and I don't like it at all." He looked up and down the structure, as if it might somehow come apart and let him see beneath it. "Where it came from is the least of our worries right now, though. First, we have to find that girl, and make sure she's okay."

They began to search all over, but before they could make an organized effort, Friskett, who had followed Enzo with them, leaned back and growled at the horizon.

Enzo bent down to scratch him reassuringly. "What is it, boy?" He looked up to see ten white figures come up over a pile of rubble and shattered highway. He reached in Bob's direction with his free hand without breaking his gaze. "Uh, Bob? I think we're in trouble!"

They all turned to see the same thing. Dot staggered backward, bracing herself against the fallen building. "What's going on here?"

Ray turned to her, staring at her incredulously. "Hullo! Can anyone say, 'trap?'"

Bob's face drained of color, his mouth falling open as his eyes went wide. "This is bad! This is very bad!"

* * *

****

David's origins have become suspect, while Bob and the others seem to be cornered by Maria's scouting troops. With Matrix and AndrAIa guarding David and ARIEL, their friends are outnumbered. Is this the real reason why Crondell and his men were there? Will they be able to get a message to Matrix and AndrAIa in time? Find out next time in Reboot: The User!


End file.
